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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Mahindra KUV100
launch in India is scheduled for January 15, 2016 and with the car's
arrival in the country barely 10 days away, the buzz around the mini SUV
only seems to grow by the minute. In preparation of its upcoming
launch, some reports claim that the Mahindra KUV100 has already started
arriving at dealerships across the country. One must also know that the
sub-compact SUV, which was previously known as the Mahindra S101, will
have Varun Dhawan as its brand ambassador. While unveiling the Mahindra
KUV100 last month, the carmaker had said that over 1000 units of the car
have already been manufactured.
While Mahindra revealed the exterior images of the car
in December, not much was known about the interiors. However, the
Mahindra KUV100's cabin was recently spied that gives much insight about
what will be on offer.

The spy pictures suggest that the car photographed is the top-end
variant in the 6-seat layout. The spied Mahindra KUV100 sports a bench
seat in the front, the gear lever has been placed on the dashboard,
while the pull-type handbrake is right below the centre console.
Furthermore, the KUV100 mini SUV sports rectangular AC vents atop the
centre console with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
controls positioned vertically (on the left of the gear lever).

Mahindra KUV100, where KUV stands for 'Kool Utility Vehicle', will
come powered by an all-new engine line-up that will also power future
models from the carmaker's stables. The 1.2-litre mFalcon G80 petrol
unit, the first petrol engine to be created from scratch by Mahindra, is
the lightest engine in its segment, is made up of an all-aluminium
body, and develops 82bhp of power along with 114Nm of peak torque. The
turbocharged common-rail diesel engine, mFalcon D75, develops 77bhp and
190Nm of torque. Both the engines will be mated to a 5-speed manual
gearbox.
Expected to come with a starting price of 4.5
lakh, the Mahindra KUV100 sub-compact SUV currently has no competition
in the Indian automobile market. With that being said, it does find a
rival in the Hyundai Grand i10 if only the price were to be a
consideration. As far as other upcoming cars go, the Mahindra car can
expect to face competition from the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Ignis.

The North Korean authorities say they have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb amid reports of a tremor near the main nuclear test site.

State media announced the test after monitors detected a 5.1 magnitude quake close to the Punggye-ri site.

The North is thought to have conducted three previous underground nuclear tests there since 2006.

A hydrogen bomb uses fusion to create a blast far more powerful than that of a more basic atomic bomb.

This test was apparently a hydrogen bomb, a step up in destructive
power from the plutonium used in previous tests. It gives more
explosive power for a lighter weight.
After the test in 2013,
there was widespread condemnation. The UN Security Council held an
emergency meeting at which its members, including China, "strongly
condemned" the test. Similar outrage is expected this time. Prime
Minister Abe of Japan has said this fourth test was a "serious threat to
the safety of his nation".
On top of any fourth nuclear test,
North Korea also appears to have tested a submarine-launched missile.
The ability to launch missiles from submarines would change the whole
calculation of military response because warning times of an attack on,
for example, the West Coast of the United States would be much shorter.
Before
the test, North Korean state media said the country "deserved to hold
nuclear weapons... to counter nuclear threats by the US".
Experts
believed before the fourth test that North Korea was still some years
from being able to hit a target with a nuclear bomb delivered by a
missile. But it is crystal clear that it is absolutely determined to be
able to do so. It is also clear that it is improving its abilities
rapidly.
If confirmed, it would mean
Pyongyang is intent on pursuing its nuclear programme with little regard
for the major political and diplomatic costs that will inevitably
accompany this unwelcome development, says Dr John Nilsson-Wright of
Asia Programme at Chatham House.
In a surprise announcement a
newsreader on North Korean state TV said: "The republic's first hydrogen
bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6,
2016."
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Pyongyang
had developed a hydrogen bomb, although international experts were
sceptical.

What is a hydrogen bomb?

A weapon energised by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes in a chain reaction, developed in 1958 by the United States

Also
known as a thermo-nuclear bomb, it is seen as a "cleaner" bomb than an
atomic one as it has less radioactive fallout - but also much more
powerful

Unlike
an atomic bomb, powered by nuclear fission, a hydrogen bomb is powered
by the fusion of lighter elements into heavier elements

Such bombs can be as small as a few feet long and can fit in warheads of ballistic missiles

Suspicion
of a test was first raised after the US Geological Survey said the
epicentre of the quake - detected at 10:00 Pyongyang time (01:30 GMT)
was in the north-east of the country, some 50km (30 miles) from Kilju
city, near Punggye-ri.
The BBC's Kevin Kim in Seoul says analysts
will now focus on trying to detect if any gases have leaked from the
subterranean explosion to conclude what type of nuclear material may
have been used, if it indeed it was a test of a hydrogen bomb.North Korea's nuclear tests9 October 2006
The
first test detonated a device based on plutonium, rather than enriched
uranium. The test was conducted at Punggye-ri, also known as
P'unggye-yok. US intelligence officials said that it had not been a
powerful one, measuring less than one kiloton - that is less then a
tenth of the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.25 May 2009
A
second underground nuclear test was carried out which was said to be
more powerful than the first. Russia's defence ministry estimated a
blast of up to 20 kilotons, a similar size to the American bombs that
completely destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Although the
North gave no details of the test location, South Korean officials said a
seismic tremor was detected in its neighbour's north-east around the
town of Kilju - close to Punggye-ri.12 February 2013
Unusual
seismic activity was detected around Punggye-ri. This was followed by
confirmation from the state news agency that North Korea had
successfully tested a device. The announcement referenced a
"miniaturised" nuclear device which raised fears that Pyongyang's
ultimate aim is to produce a device small enough to fit on a long-range
missile.